Hot water central heating system for a plurality of consumer units with indirect measurement of the heat consumed



y 1935- H. VIEWEGH HOT WATER CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEM FOR A PLURALITY OF CONSUMER UNITS WITH INDIRECT MEASUREMENT OF THE HEAT CONSUMED Filed Feb. 1953 Patented May 14, 1935 F OR A PLURALITY OF CONSUMER UNITS WITH INDIRECT MEASUREMENT OF THE HEAT CON SUMED Heinrich Viewegh, Vienna, Austria Application February s, 1933, Serial No. 655,088 llnAustria February 10, 1932 3 Claims. Application has been filed in Austria February 10, 1932.

This invention relates to a hot water heating system for a plurality of consumers and equipped 5 for indirect measurement of the respective quantities of heat consumed. 1 Hot water heating systemshave already become known in which the hot water is supplied from a heat-exchanger to each consumer separately through a separate supply pipe, and caused to flow back to the heatexchanger from the radiators through a separate return pipe. For this purpose the heat-exchanger can be located in the cellar or on the individual floors. The heat-exchanger. is connected to a low pressure steam supply line, the quantity of the condensate is measured. by a water meter of the drum type, and the reading of this meter gives abasis on which the quantity of heat consumed and charged for can be calculated. This is the most accurate method of measurement. If, however, a plurality of consumers be connected to one hot water heating "system, difiiculties arise in the measuring and apportioning the costs of the quantity of'heat supplied to each consumer. In hot water' heating systems of this type, with a plurality of consumers, the water is heated in a heat-exchanger and supplied to the individual consumers through separate supply pipes, the cooled water returning 'to the heat-exchanger through separate flow pipes for each consumer. For the the quantity of heat supplied to each individual consumer a meter for'heat quantity is interposed in each supply pipe from the heat-exchanger.

These meters generally take the form of vane water meters with measurement of the diiierence between while at the'same time they plicated and expensive.

Attempts in this direction have thus proved unsatisfactory. The inclusion of complicated and expensive instruments in central heating systems entire heating plant in lump sums. This sum total of the apportioned amounts.

The present invention provides a hot water heating system for a plurality of consumers and equipped with'indirect measurement of the respective quantities of heat actually supplied to each consumer separately in which the water is caused to circulate from a heat-exchanger to the consumer and back to the heat-exchanger, and in which the above-mentioned drawbacks. of known or proposed systems are obviated. The invention is characterized vby the employment of a supply-pipe system common to all the consumers and of separate return pipes for each of the consumers. It is thus possible for all the heatexchangers to be connected to a common'fiow pipe, and for the return-flowwater. to be heated to a certain definite and constant temperature in the supply pipe system. The quantity. of the condensate from the heating steam supplied to each heat-exchanger is a measure of the amount of heat supplied to each individual consumer. The quantity of the condensate is measured for each consumer individually, since the return flow is brought from each consumer separately to a separateheat-exchanger. As against the central heating systems with approximate apportionment of the heating costs .to the consumers in lump sums the system according to the present invention has the advantagethat each consumer is only charged for the actual amount of heat consumed. There is thus a real incentive to drum water meters are Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically the piping system for a multi-storied dwelling house in which the heat-exchangers and the condensate meters same floor as this unit.

In each of these figures the stories in which theradiators H are provided are represented by diagrammatically indicated ceilings or floors w. The hot water, as heating medium, is supplied of heat quantity the present invention has.

densate in the me 'water to the constant a throttling device, for

a supply pipe line V for example the stories of a forced circulation According to the arrangement of the consumer units and to the local conditions a separate return-pipe system 1* is taken" from each story (or from each unit) separately, and "run together in the basement to form'separate collecting return pipes R1, R2, R3 for each consumer unit. Each of these return pipes is connected through a branch pipe 21, 22, 23 to aseparate heat-exa changer U1, U2, Us. In these heat-exchangers the return water is heated by means of steam, which steam pipe I either directly is supplied through a i b ler. (n t Sh w e c ew ea ven 'a long-distance supply system, to" a predetermined supply temperature, which isretained constant by the regulator 'I, and then supplied through the branch pipes c and the forced-circulation pump to the supply pipe V common to all the consumer units. I

The measurement of therespective quantities of heat supplied to the individual consumers is carried out by measurement of the steam conters K, on the strength of the fact thatthe consumption of steam in the heatexchangers U1 to Us for the heating of the return temperature of the supply is directly proportional to the amount of heat consumed in the respective consumer units. The condensate is returned to the boiler through a commonpipe line 11." If desired, there may be interposed in the pipelines to the condensate meters K a steam trap S, or the like.

' It should further be noted that the temperature regulator T allotted to each oiv the heatexchangers U1 to Us is provided with a thermosensitive element which is located in the stream of the flow leaving the toplof the heat-exchanger, and by means of which this regulator acts upon instance a damper, valve, or the like, which is interposed in the steam supp ypipel.

Practical-tests have proved that highly developed re ulators of this type are accurate to within /z% in both directions; and'the limit of error is equally low'lnjthe case of the drum water meters used for the" measurement of the condensate.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 2 differs-from that shown in Fig. 1 only inasmuch as the heatexchanger for each consumer unit is disposed on the same floor as the latter; The reference characters used apply to the same parts in. both fig- UIBS- i return pipe from priate thereto,

steam feed pipe connected to each of the said heat I claim:

l. A hot water heating system for a plurality of consumer units each consisting of one or more radiators, comprising in combination a hot water supply pipe system common to all the consumer a heat exchanger associated with each of the said consumer units and connected to the said supply pipe system, a separatere'turn pipe irom each consumer u 't to the appropriate one of the said heat exchangers carrying water to be heated exclusively in the heat exchanger appropriate thereto, a condensate discharge pipe and aste'am feed pipeconnected to each of the said heat exchangers, and means interposed in each or the said condensate discharge pipes for the independent measurement of the entire heat consumption of each of the said consumer units.

2. A hot water heating system for a plurality of consumer units each consisting of one or more radiators, comprising combination a hot water' supply pipe system common'td' all the consumer units, a heat exchanger associated with each of the said consumer units and connected to the said supply pipe system; a'separate and independent return pipe from each consumer unit ?25 steam thereto f or the purpose of maintaining constant water temperatureat the commencement of the said supply pipe system, and means interposed vin each of the said condensate discharge pipes for the independent measurement of the entire heat consumption of each of the said consumer units.

3. A hot water heating of consumer units each consisting 01' one or more radiators, comprising in combination a hot'water supply pipe system common to all the consumer units, aheat exchanger associated with each of the said consumer units supp pipe system, a separate and independent each consumer unit to the apof the said heat exchangers approa condensate discharge pipe and a nropriate one exchangers, a theme-regulator associated with ea h of the said heat exchangers and adapted to influence the flow of steam thereto for the purpose oirmaintaining constant water temperature at the commencement of the said supp y pip system, and a water meter interposed in each of the said condensate discharge pipes for the independent measurement of the entire heat consumption of each of the said consumer units.

' HEINRICH VIEWEGH.

system for a plurality and connected to the said 

